I, Tonya (2017)

I used to do this segment on my other blog called Based On A Truesday story where we explored films that were based on a true story. While it has been a long time since we did it and today is Tuesday after all I thought I would bring it back. The film I chose for today is one that was a huge topic in the 1990's because it was one of the most shocking events to happen in the world of figure skating and I am talking about I, Tonya which was released in 2017 and was directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars And The Real Girl). The film stars Margot Robbie (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) as the controversial Tayna Harding. The film follows Tanya's life from it's humble backwards beginnings all the way to the events that occurred when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked. The film also stars Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Winter Soldier) as Jeff, Allison Janney (The Addams Family) as LaVona, Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County) as Diane Rawlinson, Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell) as Shawn, Bobby Cannavale (The Irishman) as Martin Maddox,  Bojana Novakovic (Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) as Dody Teachman, Caitlin Carver (Dear White People) as Nancy Kerrigan, and Jason Davis (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) as Al.

This was actually an interesting story about one of the most controversial figures who dealt with very stupid people right from the beginning. There was a lot of pressure on her right from the beginning because she was an unconventional skater put on by her mother. She gets married to basically a guy who was a moron that abused her, and an idiot who thought he was security guard hatched the plan to whack Nancy Kerrigan. The thing that I loved the most about the film is the fact that is says it based off of accounts given by Tanya and Jeff, but they are also telling you to take what they say with a degree of maybe you shouldn't believe everything that they say because how reliable can they really be? Margot Robbie does an amazing job in the film that you could almost take this as Harley Quinn's origin story, but she really does knock it out of the park as the polarizing Tonya Harding. Sebastian Stan also deserves some credit for the job well done that he did, but the real star of the film in my opinion was Allison Janney who played Tony'a unrelenting and unforgiving mother who was the definition of tough as nails. She dominated the screen every time that she appeared on it and she carried the film through in my opinion. I would be interested to know however how much of the story is true because one is always going to paint themselves as innocent bystanders, but the truth is that the deed was done. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

If there was ever a director that I had a ton of respect for, that distinct honor would go to Quentin Tarantino who has directed some amazing films in his career like Inglorious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and so many more. That is why I jumped at the chance to check out his latest that he also wrote in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) as faded Hollywood TV star Rick Dalton who along with his bodyguard Cliff Booth (Academy Award Winner Brad Pitt) are trying to find their place and achieve more fame in an Hollywood whose golden age is starting to fade away in 1969. The film also stars Margot Robbie (Birds Of Prey) as Sharon Tate, Emile Hirsch (Vincent N Roxxy) as Jay Sebring, Timothy Olyphant (Gone In 60 Seconds) as James Stacy, Austin Butler (The Dead Don't Die) as Tex Watson, Dakota Fanning (The Runaways) as Squeaky Fromme, Bruce Dern (Nebraska) as George Spahn, Mike Moh (Inhumans) as Bruce Lee, Luke Perry (Riverdale) as Wayne Maunder, Damian Lewis (Dreamcatcher) as Steve McQueen, Al Pacino (The Irishman) as Marvin Schwarz, Samantha Robinson (The Love Witch) as Abigail Folger, Damon Herriman (Justified) as Charlie, Lena Dunham (Girls) as Gypsy,  Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting Of Hill House) as Lulu, James Landry Hébert (Gangster Squad) as Clem, and Kurt Russell and Zoë Bell (Death Proof) as Randy and Janet Miller.

That list of actors doesn't even put a dent on how many actors, long lost actors, and really good actors were in this film like Scoot McNairy, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Danielle Harris, James Remar, Lew Temple, Rebecca Gayheart, Martin Kove, Clu Gulager, Rumer Willis, Clifton Collins Jr., Harley Quinn Smith, Nicholas Hammond, and so many more. I know a lot of people complained about the pace of the film, but I have to be honest in saying that you know what to expect from a Tarantino film. One is that it's always going to be slow paced and it's going to feature a lot of dialogue included in it usually. So, once you know those things, his films are actually quite enjoyable and you have to appreciate what he brought to the table with this film. The sets alone in this film are absolutely amazing and the way it's presented to you is fantastic. Part of me felt like I was watching a special from 1969 mixed with what was going on. While I loved what DiCaprio brought to the film, the real MVP in my opinion was Brad Pitt and deservedly so considering he won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his part in this film. He carried the film and he had all of the best lines and scenes. The film is kind of a slow burn for the final battle scene at the end that makes the wait very worth it especially if you love Brad Pitt. While I didn't care for the change in the history of what happened, I also didn't mind it either. That is why I am going to give the film an A+ for a final grade because it was awesome. The Bruce Lee scene is controversial (in a way), but it was also funny at the same time.

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

One of the most iconic villains to ever appear in a comic book could arguably be The Joker with all of his misadventures with the Batman. It was until the 1990's animated series that they would introduce one of the most iconic sidekicks in Harley Quinn. In 2016's Suicide Squad, she had finally hit the big screen with Margot Robbie playing her, but the film was lackluster. Now it's 2020 and she's back with her very own film in Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Things have been rough for one Harley Quinn, she's dealing with a bad break up with the Joker and she kind of has nothing to do, but no one else in Gotham knows this yet. Well after she decides to blow up one of the Joker's favorite spots, the word gets out and now every one is after her. one Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) a.k.a. The Black Mass who is trying to regain a stolen diamond from a young girl. With help from some friends, she'll try everything to stop him from catching and potentially hurting the girl. The film also stars Rosie Perez (White Men Can't Jump) as Renee Montoya, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Underground) as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco (Veep) as Cassandra Cain, Chris Messina (Argo) as Victor Zsasz, Steven Williams (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday) as Captain Erickson, Ali Wong (American Housewife) as Ellen Yee, and the film was directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs).

I went into this film with very low expectations and I left a pretty happy person. I truly felt like this is what Suicide Squad should have been because this is a way better film. The movie was a lot of fun to watch as Harley Quinn broke everything down herself as she narrates the film. I definitely loved the fact that it sort of continues right where Suicide Squad ended or at least that is where it seems like it takes off from. The only thing that I ask is where the hell is the Batman when all of this crap is happening right in Gotham. I mean you have one guy cutting off people's faces and he just keeps doing it without any worries of the Batman. Other than that, I loved all of the action in the film, but what is Warner Brothers deal with doing the slowmotion thing all the time? I get that they want to emphasize the action and the power of those actions, but they went a little overboard. I definitely loved the freedom they had in this film to swear and do all sorts of things that other films have not been able to do. It was just a fun action adventure with one of the craziest gals in Gotham City and I am going to say here and that is I am hoping for a sequel because I believe in more adventures of Harley and her gang of misfits. There were several nods to the comics from all the different costumes like the animated series outfit or The New 52 Harley Quinn on roller skates as well as some pop culture stuff like the Madonna video that they interrupted. I am going to give the film a grade that is somewhere between A-/B+ because this is worth checking out.